Hello from Park City, Utah! Roger, Bear and I have been here for four nights visiting Warren and Lea. It is always so much fun to spend time with them. Although the visit has been brief, we were able to pack in a lot.
Before we left Moab, on Wednesday morning, we worked in one more hike and a couple of bike rides. The hike took us to the Moab Rim, which is a shared (four wheelers use it) trail. This was great because we got to see what four wheeling is like at a very advanced level. This particular trail for four wheelers is considered a 7 out of 10 on the difficulty rating system. After seeing what these off road vehicles can do, it makes me wonder what a 10 would entail. The pictures below show a group of four wheelers (around 8) climbing the 1 1/2 mile vertical road over slick rock. Roger, Bear and I made it to the top and returned to find the group making only their second turn. This process takes a long time for those off road vehicles.
They are on the first turn at this point.
The Colorado River in the distance. The Four Wheelers can be seen in the foreground.
Roger watches an expert driver coming down the trail.
At the top of the Moab Rim Hike (also called the Moab Stairmaster because of the steep vertical climb), we were rewarded with a beautiful 360 degree view of the canyon and the town of Moab. This was well worth the hike.
Downtown Moab from the top of the hike.
On the way down, we ran into the Four Wheelers on their second turn. The hike took us two hours, up and back. It was going to take the off road vehicles a lot longer.
Although our month in Moab was so much fun and flew by, we were ready to leave. Our drive to Park City on Wednesday morning was great! We took US 191 to I-70, where we picked up US 6 to I - 15 to Salt Lake City. We took the loop around SLC to I-80 and found Park City RV off of I-80. The drive started out with lots of sun and blue skies.
Roger is ready to be on the road again.
At this point, we have left the sandstone of Moab.
Once we started climbing to Park City, we encountered snow. Yes, even though it was May 1st, Winter is not quite over in northern Utah.
Though Park City is closed to skiing, there is still lots of snow on the runs.
The view from our parked Tour at Park City RV Resort
Roger and I have been discussing the possibility of buying mountain bikes for over a year. Although our first cycling loyalty lies with road bikes, our RV lifestyle does not always lend itself to cycling on paved roads. With the abundance of Rails to Trails paths and the popularity of mountain biking in the areas that we love to visit, it just made sense to try something with more flexibility. After investigating several mountain bike models (not an easy task with so many choices), we decided on two Specialized bikes. Upon our arrival in Park City, we called a bike shop in nearby Heber City and they happened to have exactly what we wanted. Early Thursday morning, we picked my brother (Warren) up and drove out to Slim and Knobbies to buy the bikes. Three and a half hours later we drove away with our new purchases.
Mmmmm, tubes or tubeless?
Roger and Eric going over Roger's Stump Jumper EVO 29er.
My Camber 29er being set up.
The mountain bikes are very different from our road bikes. I have a new gear system, plus lots of give due to shocks on the front and back. We practiced on a trail near our RV park with my brother's tutelage. I need lots of practice on narrow trails with ascents and descents, rocks and dealing with other cyclists. The bike is wonderful, the rider needs practice!
On Friday, Warren and Lea took us mountain biking on some of the beautiful trails in Park City. Both are excellent riders and we learned so much from them.
On Friday, Warren and Lea took us mountain biking on some of the beautiful trails in Park City. Both are excellent riders and we learned so much from them.
Lea, Suzanne and Roger
Now we can go places that we could only get to by hiking.
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